The Ghost King
by ItTicklesLikeCrazy
Summary: Bill had been bugging Dipper and Mabel for a while, so he'd become an integral part in their lives. When he gets a "guest" at the Mystery Shack, the isosceles jerk may be in too deep himself.


**This story is a part of the Birthday Story Extravaganza. Give me enough time and I'll put a link on my profile to a list of all fifteen BSE stories! Review a "Happy Birthday" and get my eternal appreciation.**

**Oh gosh, what was going through my head while I wrote my birthday stories? Poor Gravity Falls Fandom, suffering my wrath, man! Jeeze!**

**ENJOY!**

Dipper and Mabel had gotten used to Bill popping up anywhere and everywhere at random times, making snarky comments and generally being a horrible pest, but unable to do much beyond that unless one of the twins decided to randomly attempt to initiate a deal. Slowly, they'd adapted to Bill being around, a constant threat that was no longer a worry. Like a temporarily dormant volcano, needing an earthquake to make it irrupt. The twins were cautious and scared constantly at first, but after learning exactly how big that earth quake needed to be, gradually they'd relaxed.

Bill didn't act like the word "demon" would lead you to think. He was snarky, sarcastic, but funny, and his words manipulated sometimes, but were never rough enough to emotionally damage one of the twins. He was almost like that annoying person you didn't know why was in your friend group in the first place, but now couldn't get to leave you alone. Dipper and Mabel slowly got used to the weekly deal offers and sarcastic commentary to their activities.

Logically, Dipper and Mabel knew they should still watch out for the temporarily dormant volcano, because just because they didn't know what would cause the earth quake, didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Still, nobody was summoning Bill anytime soon, deals were avoided at all costs, and there was simply nothing else listed in the Journal as a big enough event, besides the mysteriously scrawled out _miscellaneous._

When Robbie walked into the Mystery Shack with glowing red eyes, and Bill immediately perked up with an evil gleam to his eye, Dipper knew they were in trouble. Mabel ran for her grappling hook and whatever else she could find on short notice, while Dipper tried to stay out of sight, but close enough to eavesdrop as Bill floated right up to Robbie, who grinned in a way entirely unlike the normally very angsty teen.

"Phantom," Bill said, throwing his arms open happily, his strange echoing voice resonating with a note Dipper recognized as plotting. "What brings you to town, Little Hybrid?"

Robbie's hand shot out with lightning quick speed and grabbed Bill's "wrist", pulling the dream demon closer as his lip curled in disgust and aggression. "Listen here, you idiotic Dorito. I don't really have a lot of information on you 'dream demons', but I do know one thing..." Robbie's red eyes glittered with malice, and Dipper was absolutely sure that whoever that was, it wasn't Robbie.

"...You're weaker than halfas," Robbie finished, and then smirked. "And I know, too, that you're under my rule now, Cipher, no matter what you've done or what you can do. Cancel your plans for the next thousand years, because unlike that idiot Pariah Dark," Robbie's face twisted into a sneer, "_I_ plan on actually doing something with my power besides desperately trying to feed my own ego."

Bill laughed his weird, reverberating laugh, not unsettled in the least by the threatening figure inhabiting Robbie's body. "Great to see you finally grew a back bone, kid," he teased. "But you picked the wrong demon to threaten, short stack. I've been paying attention to your news, and I know that you're a hero at heart."

Robbie scoffed a little, a slight note of humor in the back of the sound. "Well..." the being inside of Robbie's body began. The vision of Robbie seemed to split before Dipper's eyes for a second, one Robbie and one different image imposed over Robbie. Than Robbie's boneless body fell to the floor in a lifeless heap, and left a very imposing figure standing there, gripping Bill's wrist with easy grace. Dipper immediately saw Bill's eye go to the flaming crown atop the figure's head, and the green ring on the hand that was gripping Bill's flimsy arm. "You know what they say," the being said, the corners of his lips lifting up maliciously. "Power corrupts."

Was it Dipper's imagination, or did Bill seem almost nervous now? Dipper surveyed the figure, who was definitely intimidating with bright red irises, stark white hair, and lean muscle rippling under tan skin. The figure was wearing, beyond the flaming green crown and ring, simple black clothes that managed to make the figure look extremely threatening. In the center of his t shirt there was a D symbol Dipper vaguely recognized, but couldn't place.

"Listen, Cipher," the figure said, his red eyes glimmering evilly. "I gave it to you straight, and you challenged me. Most of the time, I'd simply vaporize the ghost in question and get a replacement, but I know little to nothing about 'dream demons', and a replacement might be hard to find. So in return for me sparing your existence, you're going to tell me everything about your kind you know. You refuse to comply," the figure shrugged, grinning, "I'm sure dream demons aren't that important."

It was disorienting, seeing somebody else make threats towards Bill, cut Bill a deal, instead of the other way around. And the fact that there was a slight aura of nervousness radiating off Bill like rays of infrared, affecting everything in the close vicinity invisibly, including Dipper. Dipper wasn't just scared from the "radiation" of Bill's nervousness, but Bill was the most powerful thing Dipper had ever come across, and if he was scared of whoever this was...

Then Bill laughed again, and Dipper's thoughts eased. "Cute, Little Hybrid," Bill teased. "You almost had me going there for a second. Have you been practicing?"

The mysterious being lifted his chin in clear challenge, but his eyebrows inches up in amusement. "Hmm," he hummed innocently, which hardly fit his entire demeanor. "I guess I can find another one of you." Without warning, the hand he was still clutching Bill's "wrist" with flared with green light, and Bill gasped in pain, the sound reverberating because of his odd voice. Dipper winced, the fear rushing back again.

Bill lit his free hand with blue fire, but the figure's opposite hand came up to grab that hand, seemingly fairing the turquoise flames without damage. Green light leeched up to the that hand too, until the flames were more green than blue, and Bill's eye had gone red.

Green fire burned its way down each of Bill's spindly arms, slowly burning him away while he tried to do the same to the red-eyed boy. When the green fire reached Bill's sides, it slowly started devouring him up, like a piece of paper tossed into a bonfire. Green laced up and down his body, circling his legs and slowly burning those away too. It was horrific to watch, and the terrifying maniac smile on the red-eyed boy's face was even worse.

Dipper briefly glanced away to see Mabel at the threshold, carrying a box of random helpful stuff and looking mentally scarred. She caught Dipper's eye and he mouthed '_run_' at her because he didn't want to face this alone, but more so he didn't want Mabel to face it at all. Mabel dropped the box at her feet and followed Dipper's instructions, and Dipper felt himself turn, almost against his will, back, to see Bill's eye slowly melt away. The last to burn was his top hat, which went up in a sudden column of flame, and then it was finished, and the red-eyed boy was left smirking at a pile of ashes.

"So," the red-eyed boy said, turning, and his eyes locked with Dipper's, even though he wasn't supposed to know Dipper was there. "Bill's little pet human, right? Can you tell me about dream demons, or do I have to repeat that,' he motioned to the pile of ashes, "unpleasant process all over again."

***Guilty laughter* Oops. We'll ignore this one, possibly, because I mean...?! I don't even know. UNTIL NEXT TIME!**


End file.
